Air-brake system.



New 843 768. A PATENTED FEB. 12, 1907. G, MAGLG'SKIB.

AIR BRAKE SYSTEM,

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 22, 1906.

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Witnesses a inventor Qg Gear e macloskle,

b x6? AM I UNITED sTATEs igEn oEErGE. '1

GEORGE MAOLOSKIE, OESCHENECTADY, NEW YORK, \ASSIGNOR TO GEN- ERAL ELEGT IG' COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

AIR-BRAKE SYSTEM.

no. 843,758. g Specific'ationof Letters Patent. Patented Feb. 12,1907,

' I Application filed June 22.1906. Serial No, 322,845. 7 Q

To I all whom it may concern: 4 while the electric control is in use, butimme- Be it known that I, GEORGE MACLOSKIE, a diately becomes operative upon the failure of citizen of the Um'tedgStates, residing at electric current; When the arrangement of Schenec'ta'dy, county of Schenectady, State my former application is employed in com-' 5 of New York, have invented certain new and bination with my present invention with useful Improvements in Air-Brake Systems, separate cylinders for pneumatic and electric of which the following is a specification. control, it will be seen that when the control- My invention relates to air-brake systems, handle is moved to braking position, so as to and particularly to systems employing two set the brakes electrically andthe current IO kinds of brake-controlling apparatus. then fails, the pneumatic braking system It has been proposed heretofore to arr 'ge will come automatically into operation to'reair-brakes with both electricallysopera ed lease the pressurefrom the electrically-com andpneumatically-operated controlling detrolled cylinder. .The brakes may then be vices, since electrically-operated devices have released and applied pneumatically in the I :5 the advant ge of greater rapidity 'in action usual manner. and greatei flexibility in control, while the My invention will best-bejinderstood-by pneumatic devices serve to give reliability in reference to the accompanymg drawings, m v

. cases of emergency, such as failure of the Whichelectric current. Figure 1 shows diagrammatically an air- 'i lzo It issometimes advantageous to employ brake system arranged in accordance'with 25 rectly from the main reservoir without using o sometimes happen that upon failure of elec- 0 set due to the electrically-controlled cylinder 50 ing a single brake-cylinder, in whichin order 1 separate brakeecylinders for the electric and my invention, and Fig. 2 shows a cgoss-secpneumatic control systems, since the'electrictional view of the two brake-cylinders and ally-controlled cylindermay be made smaller, releaseevalve. c a so as to permit takingair at a high pressure di- In the. drawings, A represents an afr-compressor supplying the main reservoir B, which is connected: to the main reservoir, line b. 0 represents the usual trainipe of an automatic' air-brake system whic is arranged to be connected to reservoir-line-b' or to atmosphere through the engineers val've'D. The usual pressure-reducing valves may be employed between the reservoir-line. and train-pipe line, either in conjunction With the engineers valve or separate therefrom, so as to give a'pressure in the train-pipe 0 lowera'pressure-redu'cing valve. With such an arrangement the two systems are practically independent, each cylindeQrf/being controlled only by its own control system, and it may trio current the electric valve-may be left inlap position with pressure in thebiake' cylinder controlled thereby, i My invention has for itsobject to secure 3 5 automatically the release of the pressure in the electrically-controlled cylinder when pressure is admitted to the pneumaticallycontrolled cylinder; Thusif on the failure of electric current the brakes should remain E represents a triple valve which may be of the usual construction withjits piston-chamber connected to train-pipe-C and arranged to conne'ct-brake-cylinder F to auxiliary rest ervoir G or to atmosphere to apply and to re- 5 lease the brakes. H- re resents a second brake-cylinder controlled by the electrically actuated'valve I, which is arranged to con nectbrake-cylinderHtoreservoir-line b orto by admitting pressure to the pneumaticallycontrolled cylinder the pressure in the electrically-controlled cylinder may be-released,

and the brakes may then be released by the 45 pneumatically-controlled system in the usual manneri v f In a former application,'Serial-No. 310,415,

filed April 7, 1906, I have described a combined electric and pneumatic system employ- The construction of thiselectrically-operated "valve is not shown, sinceit formsno part of my present "invention, and any suitable thata single controlling-handle may be used structure, such as that described-in. my'fori to control both systems the pneumatic con= mer application above referred to, may be -05 trol is arranged to be rendered inoperative, employed; The electrically-actuated valve than that in reservoir-line b. i go atmosphere to apply and to release the brakes. '1 oo trio and pneumatic control the same handle without interference be- I may be conveniently controlled in accordance with the invention described in my former application by contacts m on the engineer's valve I), through which the valve I may be connected to the source of current, (indicated by the collector-shoe N.) I have indicated a device AI in series with the contacts m, which may be used to close the. exhaust of the engineer's valve when current is passing through it. In this manner the pneumatic control iswhenever the electric control is employed, as is fully described in my former application above referred to, Serial No. 310,415, in

Which a suitable construction of the device M- is fu'llyillustrated and described. Tiie pfirpose of bills arrangement as described in my formerap 'ilicatmn is to enable tlieelecto be secured by tween the two systems. While I believe suca an arrangement to be of value and have consequently illustrated it diagrammatically in the present case, this particular arrangement is not essential to my present invention in its broader aspect and need not be de scribed at length. It is sufficient to understand that as long as the electric system of control is-used the pneumatic system is inop- Now referring to Fig. 2, the arrangement of the brake-cylinders and of the releasevalve will be described. The two cylinders F and H are arranged back to back, the latter cylinder being smaller than the pneumatically-controlled cylinder, since it is arranged to be connected directly to reservoir, as

shown in Fig. 1, without a reducing-valve.

The pistons on both cylinders are connected to the same brake-riggingJ, so that the brakes are applied whenever pressure is admitted to either cylinder. A release-valve K is arranged between the two cylinders and com prises two lift-valves of unequal areas, the

one exposed to the pressure in the pneumatically-controlled cylinder F being larger and close fitting 1n" the chamber in whlchlt moves,

while tllQOililGI lift-valve at the opposite end of the device, which is subjected to the pressure in the electrically-controlled cylinder H, is smaller and is loose fitting, so as to allow a comparatively free leakage of air around it when the valve is s..ifted toward the right from the position shown in Fig. 2. During normal operation-that is, wiiile the brakes are being controlled electricallythe releasevalve K maintains the position shown in Fig. 2, since there is no pressure in the pneumatically-controlled cylinder F, and consequently no pressure on the larger lift-valve. N ow if the current in the electric-control systerm should fail for any cause while the cylinder: H is filled with air under pressure by admitting air to cylinder F the release-valve K is shifted toward the right by the pressure on rendered inoperative thereby exhausting the air from cylinder H.

The brakes are maintained applied by the pressure in cylinder F; but this pressure may be released by the pneumatic control.

Itwill be seen that employing the contacts m and the device M, (indicated in Fig. 1,) which renders the pneumatic system inoperative as long as and only so long as the electric system is in use, the failure of the electric current while the engineers valve is in braking position brings the pneumatic control at once into action and produces a reduction of pressure in train-pipe C, an operation of tri le valve E, and an admission of air to cylin or F, so as to release the pressure in cylinder H. The transfer of control from the electric to the pneumatic system is thus automatic upon the failure of current in the. same manner as in the arrangement of my former application, andthe employment of the release-valve K serves effectually to prevent the electric-oontrol system from interfering with the pneumatic control, no matter in what condition the electric-control system is left at the time of the failure of current.

I do not desire to limit myself to the par-.

ticular construction and arrangement of parts here shown, but aim in the appended claims to cover all modifications w nch are within the scope-of my invention.

What I claim-as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In an air-brake system, two brake-cylinders on a car, and means for automatically releasing the pressure in one cylinder upon the admission of pressure to the other.

2. In an air-brake system, two brake-cylinders on a car, a movable member exposed to the pressure in one of said cylinders, and a valve 0 eratively connected to said member adapte to connect the other cylinder to atmosphere.

3. In an air-brake system, two brake-cylinders on a car, two independent valves controlling the pressures in said cylinders respectively, and means for automatically releasing the pressure in one cylinder upon the admission of pressure 4. In' an air-brake system, two brake-cylinders-on a car, two independent valves controlling the pressures in said cylinders respectively, a movable member exposed to the IIO . inders, and a valve operatively connected to said member adapted to connect the other cylinder to atmosphere.

6. In an air-brake syst m, two brake-cylinders -on a car, an electrically-actuated valve Controlling the pressure in one cylinder, a pneumatically-actuated valve controlling the pressure in the other cylinder, and means for releasing the (pressure in the electricallycontrolled cylin or upon the admission of prgssure to the pneumatically-controlled cyl- 1n er. I

7. In an air-brake system, two brake-cylinders on a; car, an electrically-actuated valve controlling the pressure in one cylinder, 'a pneumatically-actuated valve controlling the pressure in the other cylinder, -.a --movable member exposed to'the ressure in the pneumatically-co'ntrolled cy inder, and a valve operatively connected to said'member adapted to connect -the electrically-controlled cylinder to atmos here.

8. In an air-Quake system, two brake-cylinders on a car, an electric-control system for one cylinder, a n'eumatic-control system for the other cylinder, automatic means for rendering the pneumatic system inoperative when the electric system is in use, and automatic means for rendering the electricallycontrolled cylinder ino erative when the pneumatically-controlle cylinder is in use to apply the brakes.

- inders arranged 9. In an air-brake system, inders on a car, an electric-control system or one cylinder, a neumatic-control system for the other cylin er, automatic means for rendering the pneumatic system inoperative when the electric system is in use, and automatic means for releasin the pressure in the electrically-controlled cy inder upon the admission of pressure to the pneumaticallycontrolled cylinder.

two brake-c l- 10. In an air-brake system, two brak'e-cyl Y i back to the same brake-riggmg, a

tons connected to through the backs of said member extending cylinders and pressures 1n said cylinders,

of said cylinders to atmosphere.

11. In an air-brake system, two brake-cyl-' inders back to back arranged with their pistons connected to the same brake-riggm inders responsive. to pressure 1 and a valve device arranged between the ey er one cylin and adapted to connect the other cylinder to atmosphere.

In witness whereof Ihave hereunto set my hand this 21st day of June, 1906.

GEORGE MAOLOSKIE.

Witnesses:

BENJAMIN B. HULL,- HEL N ORFORD,

back with their pissubjected to the differential and a valve carried by said member adapted to connect one 5 

